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PENSACOLA, Fla. — Officials have released the names of two Escambia County Jail inmates killed in an apparent gas explosion.
The county said Friday that David Paul Weinstein, 45, and Robert Earl Simmons, 54, were killed when the explosion ripped through the jail late Wednesday night.
The Florida Fire Marshall's Office and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are working to determine the cause of the blast.
The jail's basement was flooded with more than 2 feet of water from heavy rains at the time of the blast.
Employees and 600 inmates evacuated the jail amid the chaos. Officials say 181 inmates were treated and released from local hospitals.
Two inmates and a jail employee were hospitalized with more serious injuries.
Copyright the Associated Press
WFTV
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